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Mike Stadter

The Change Seminar

More than 250 million people attend conferences annually in the US alone, according to the Global Conference Alliance. Industry events are powerful opportunities to build new relationships, learn from industry experts, and elevate your professional presence.Even if you’re a seasoned conference attendee, this three-step guide will help you show up with intention, connect with confidence, and follow up with purpose. Let’s get you ready for conference season!1. PrepareA strong start begins before you arrive. Approaching the days and weeks before the event with intention can turn a routine experience into a career-defining one. How can you prepare? Set goals. Ask yourself, "What do I want to walk away with?” Maybe it’s new industry contacts, potential sales leads, or innovative ideas. Write down a few goals to guide how you spend your time.Do your research. Research the speakers, sessions, and even the attendee list if available. Identify people or companies to connect with, and follow them on LinkedIn before the conference. A conversation starter like “I’ve been following your work and…” sets you apart. Polish your introduction. Your introduction doesn’t have to be scripted, but it should be concise and delivered with confidence. In 30 seconds, you should be able to share who you are and what you do. With any extra time, get creative with what else you decide to include. If you need some ideas, here are a few to consider:What excites you about your work?Your goal or focus for the eventA current priority in your roleEnsure that your LinkedIn profile and any other professional platforms you share are up to date and reflect your current role and interests.2. EngageWhen the conference starts, you’ll be surrounded by activity and information. The goal is to stay intentional, not just busy.Schedule intentionally. Don’t overload your schedule trying to be everywhere at once. Prioritize sessions that align with your goals, and leave room for spontaneous conversations—some of the most valuable moments happen in the hallways, at lunch, or between sessions. Start conversations with impact. Thoughtful questions spark better conversations than a resume rundown. While it’s easy to fall back on “What do you do?”, it’s not always the most engaging conversation starter. Instead, try asking:“What’s been the highlight of your work lately?”“Which session are you looking forward to the most?”“How did you get into this line of work?”Write it down. Many conferences offer handouts and speaker notes, but don’t underestimate the value of taking your own. You probably won’t revisit every deck, so get in the habit of jotting down highlights—key takeaways, ideas for your team, names of people you met, and standout conversations—to make the most of your learning.3. Follow UpThe conference may end, but your impact doesn’t. The post-conference period is when the seeds you planted start to grow.Reach out soon. You’ll meet a lot of people, and so will everyone else. Follow up within 48 to 72 hours while the conversations are still fresh. Send a short, personalized message that reminds them who you are, references your chat, and suggests how you’d like to stay connected.Add value. When you follow up, add a personal touch. Send an article, book, or event recommendation related to your conversation (this is where your notes will come in handy). Small gestures like this show that you were engaged and worth staying connected with.Reflect. Before diving back into work, ask yourself:What did I learn?Who or what stood out?What will I do differently next time?Capture your thoughts to retain the value of this conference and show up even better for the next one!Showing Up Is Just the Start Conferences are what you make them. With the right mindset and a little intention, you can walk away with more than a name tag and swag bag, like valuable takeaways and meaningful connections!For additional preparation before your next event, check out our curated learning path designed to get you conference-ready.

Your 3-Step Guide to Owning Conference Season: Prepare, Engage, and Follow Up

The Infoline job aid, Positive Performance Checklist, can be used in several ways: to make changes in how you approach your work space and time, as a conversation starter, or as a gauge of how colleagues feel about the work environment.

Positive Performance Checklist

Feedback, as Marshall Goldsmith taught me, is a gift. And as such, we need to thank people when they deliver it to us.Case in PointThis point came home to me the other day in a conversation with an entrepreneur who asked me to look at his website and offer suggestions. I noted a few things, for which he thanked me, and then he continued to probe, making our conversation very open-ended. So, when he asked me for any final thoughts, I complimented him on his openness to receiving feedback and his willingness to listen and consider what I had said.Too often, people ask for feedback when all they really want is praise. A friend of mine who is a clinical professor of pediatrics in a major university made this point to me when we talked about giving feedback. All his students—medical residents in pediatrics—want feedback, but when the conversations becomes critical they shirk. It is almost as if these young doctors, all of whom have experienced great success academically, are not prepared to accept that anything could be possibly wrong, especially not with them. After all, their demeanor cries out, they are special.Give and ReceiveWe coach managers to prepare the ground for giving feedback by opening with an affirmative before offering criticism. Managers need to be specific as well as constructive. That is, focus on specific behaviors, not nebulous notions like “attitude.”Perhaps, we also need to teach managers to how to accept feedback so that they, in turn, can set the right example for how to receive it. Good managers I know do this when they invite their direct reports to deliver feedback. It can be dicey for a subordinate to deliver feedback, but savvy managers create conditions for employees to do so.Indeed, there is much discussion on how to give feedback, but relatively little on how to accept it. That’s why Goldsmith’s advice to say thank you is so telling.Enter ACTGood managers ask for feedback. More importantly, when they receive it, they smile and say thank you—even when it stings! So, for starters, here are few quick tips for how to accept feedback. Call it the ACT model: Accept, Clarify, and Thank!Accept. This demonstrates that you are open to new ideas and willing to listen. Have a conversation about the feedback. Use open-ended questions to facilitate conversation.Clarify. Ask for specific examples so that you understand what the other person expects of you. For example, if your boss says you need to communicate more concisely, ask him or her to give you an instance when you were not concise. You can even ask for tips or techniques to be more clear or more brief.Thank. Consider the individual who delivers feedback as one who is taking time to help you. This may not always be true, but if you act open minded then you position yourself as a professional.Someone who fails to accept feedback is one who cuts him or herself off from learning. But not every piece of feedback is valid, and so the credibility of the person delivering it must be considered. If the feedback is coming from a trusted source—even if we don’t like that individual—it should be considered. If the feedback is valid, then the recipient should consider how it applies to them. Change may be warranted.

A-C-T: 3 Tips for Receiving Feedback

Have you ever rolled out a leadership training program only to watch the very people who need it most tune it out with crossed arms or glazed eyes? If you have, you’re not alone.The leaders most in need of growth are often the first to resist, because the training doesn’t validate their focus.The accountability-focused leader tunes out empathy training, because they won’t risk results. The empathy-focused leader tunes out accountability training, because they won’t risk relationships. So, they dismiss the content—even when it’s exactly what they need.When Strengths Become Stumbling BlocksMost problem leaders were promoted for their real strengths. But taken too far, every strength becomes a liability. Consider these negative patterns:The Ghoster avoids hard feedback in the name of kindness.The Bulldozer charges ahead, determined to win—even if the team is flattened.The Rescuer micromanages out of helpfulness, disempowering the very people they want to support.In each case, a strength—warmth, persistence, helpfulness—has become polarized. One virtue has been elevated, and a counterbalancing strength—accountability, buy-in, empowerment—has been neglected. L&D professionals can best help address the breakdowns that follow polarized behavior by framing them as unbalanced strengths.Training for Paradox-AwarenessPolarized leaders fall into either/or thinking—the assumption that for one side to win, another must lose. Paradox awareness turns the friction of opposing values into fuel.A paradox is the tension between two truths that seem contradictory but actually need each other. Confidence and humility may seem like opposites, yet together, they create credibility. Structure and flexibility, far from rivals, are both essential for resilient teams.Paradox-aware leaders look for innovative solutions that honor both sides of a paradox.Why This Works for Resistant LeadersTraining that just focuses on a neglected skill often feels like an accusation: Leaders hear “You’re the problem,” and respond defensively.Paradox-aware training begins by validating an existing strength, establishing common ground. It presents the counterbalancing strength as an addition, not a replacement, that improves real results. For training professionals, this shift turns the task from “fixing a broken leader” to “helping a capable leader find balance.”Yes, But What About Constraints?“Both / And” thinking can sound like having your cake and eating it too until you acknowledge resource constraints. Time, money, and attention are finite. But the options inside those limits are often far more abundant than leaders assume.A manager, for instance, may believe they must either hit a deadline or protect employee well-being. Paradox awareness helps them find options that honor both—perhaps through re-scoping, delegation, or staged milestones. Leaders stop asking, “Which do I choose?” and start asking, “How do we honor both needs?”The Leadership Progress CycleThe Leadership Progress Cycle is a practical system for helping polarized leaders who feel stuck or blocked. The cycle has four steps:Set Goals – Clarify what you’re trying to achieve and how you’ll measure progress.Identify Barriers – Look for neglected strengths that may be blocking progress.Experiment – Design a SAFE: a Small, Affordable, Fast, Experiment. SAFEs lower the risk of trying new behavior. Instead of sweeping change, leaders test small adjustments. For example, a conflict-avoidant leader might offer one piece of constructive feedback.Evaluate Results – Did the experiment move you closer to your goal? If yes, build on it. If not, refine and try again.This cycle turns paradox awareness into practice. Leaders don’t just talk about balance; they run real experiments that create evidence, insight, and momentum.A Simple First StepIf you’re an L&D or HR professional, the best entry point is simply helping leaders see how strengths can tip into liabilities. To help with that, I created a free Leadership Habits Self-Assessment. It highlights common paradox patterns as a conversation starter. You can find it here.Your OpportunityParadox isn’t a problem to solve; it’s a reality to embrace. The best leaders don’t choose either empathy or accountability, confidence or humility, structure or flexibility. They create “Both / And” solutions that fit the messy reality of human work. Paradox-aware training turns problem leaders into your partners in progress.

Why the Leaders Who Need Training Most Resist It—And How to Reach Them

As the talent development field evolves and attracts a global pool of professionals with diverse skills and experiences, new questions arise: Have the competencies of instructional design (ID) changed? Should they change? How has ID evolved over the past few decades? Are instructional designers’ competencies keeping up with the pace of change?Through a collaborative partnership between the Association for Talent Development (ATD), the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET), and Rothwell & Associates (R&A), the R&A research team implemented a research study to investigate the proposed questions. The findings were recently released in a new ATD white paper, Skills, Challenges, and Trends in Instructional Design, which summarizes the literature review and results of the qualitative and quantitative data analysis. The study uncovered three major findings:The skills required in the ID area of expertise (AOE) developed by ATD remain highly relevant in today’s evolving field.Although technology is constantly changing, the challenges faced by instructional designers are less about technology and more about serving the multitude of varied learners, as well as maintaining momentum and a relationship with the subject matter expert (SME).ID has evolved over the past couple of decades and there is an ongoing need to promote the value and understanding of the ID professional’s role in talent development (TD). As instructional designers move forward in this evolving industry, data from the study points to several tips instructional designers can xxx to strengthen their skills. Develop a 30-second elevator speech. Develop a good value-add 30-second “What is an instructional designer?” speech. This is not only great for networking functions (and maybe family reunions), but as a conversation starter when you meet your design team, especially your SME, for the first time at a kickoff meeting.Design mobile first. Incorporate the design principle of “mobile first” as you begin a new project or redesign existing projects. Users want their learning programs to be more accessible and on demand. The 21st-century workforce is filled with individuals who have grown up with mobile devices, and technological advances range from ease of travel to ease of communicating through various telecommunication networks.Be a coach. When interviewing a potential instructional designer, be sure to include coaching competency questions such as “How do you work, or imagine you would work, in a context in which you need to get course content from your subject matter experts over whom you have no formal authority?” Consider using role-play in an interview or on the job to strengthen needed soft skills. Not only ask powerful questions, but also demonstrate active listening.Keep presence. Use face-to-face (or video conferencing) for the kickoff meeting and periodic status meetings to keep project (and relationship) momentum. Be sure you share and follow an agenda to respect time.Be an active and reflective agent. Most evaluations are summative, and are conducted and analyzed well after courses and training have been delivered. Survey the participants at the beginning (expectations), middle (adjustments), and end of the learning delivery (revisions). Keep a list of design ideas for future possibilities and remember that the SME may become more open to these ideas over time. Asking participants the right questions at the beginning can also reveal learner characteristics, including cultural diversity and user interface design considerations.Remember the artist. Recognize you can wear many hats: instructional designer, project manager, manufacturer, engineer, architect, artist, coach, and cheerleader. Find time to explore and experiment the artist in you through the emerging technologies of mobile learning, augmented reality, wearables, and MOOCs. Embrace failure and engage in continuous self-criticism as you innovate and change.Think like a Millennial. Millennials are expected to take over the workforce as the highest number of workers, so incorporate the learning characteristics of Millennials through game-based learning and social learning. Storytelling is a powerful tool that can strengthen the learning experience if it is correctly incorporated into the design. It is imperative to identify realistic stories that will support effective learning for the target user group. To learn more, download Skills, Challenges, and Trends in Instructional Design.

Tips to Strengthen Instructional Designer Skills

The ATD Research team is excited to share some of the highlights from ATD and the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp)’s new work focusing on massive online open courses (MOOCs) in learning and development (L&D).MOOCs, which are collaborative online courses open to anyone wishing to participate at no cost (although a fee may be required to obtain credit), have gained popularity and recognition in higher education. Among the benefits MOOCs offer students are the ability to access materials at any time and from any location, and the opportunity to collaborate with other learners. The value of MOOCs has been a topic of debate, however, especially in light of dismal completion rates.With the amount of attention directed at MOOCs in academia, we were not surprised that many talent development professionals were seeking answers to questions:Are organizations using MOOCs in L&D and are they using them effectively?What benefits can organizations realize from using MOOCs? Do poor completion rates also plague MOOCs in L&D? To investigate these questions, ATD and i4cp surveyed 525 learning and business professionals in summer 2014. Our findings were published in our research report, MOOCs: Expanding the Scope of Organizational Learning.MOOCs aren’t widely used in learning but they hold promiseOur research discovered that MOOC use is still low in talent development, with only 22 percent of surveyed professionals reporting that their organization currently uses MOOCs in L&D. Not surprising, most MOOC activity in L&D has been recent. More than three-quarters of organizations leveraging MOOCs only started doing so in the last three years.   The ranks of organizations that are new MOOC users are also expected to grow, however. Of organizations that currently do not use MOOCs, 36 percent are planning on leveraging MOOCs in the future. But these new users may not realize all the possible advantages of MOOCs right away. Our research found that the longer MOOCs were used in L&D programs, the more likely organizations were to report that MOOCs were effective.We polled participants on what they felt were the greatest potential benefits of MOOCs, and they cited broadening the scope of learning opportunities as the single greatest advantage. Other top benefits were providing access to e-learning and expanding the leadership development curriculum. Addressing the problem of poor completion rates Although MOOCs appear very promising, our findings suggest that users of MOOCs in L&D settings, like academic MOOC participants, very frequently become disengaged and drop out. We asked survey respondents about their personal experiences with MOOCs, and it was clear that the majority of MOOC starters never finish. To keep learners engaged and effectively deliver content, Amy Rouse, a director at AT&T’s corporate university, which uses MOOCs, suggested that learning professionals should consider using MOOCs in combination with other delivery methods. “There are limits to what we can do now with technology to connect people who may not be physically located together. So we’re exploring very creative approaches to blended learning, such as how we can combine MOOC content with hands-on labs or self-paced pre-requisite content, and maybe follow up with a social learning collaborative community where employee learners can support each other when they’re back on the job. It may not be all MOOC, all web-based, or all instructor-led training. But we’re excited to see how we can combine these alternatives to create the most effective learning experiences to help employees succeed,” said Rouse. Want to learn more? I encourage everyone to join us for a free webcast hosted by ATD Research and i4cp on February 2, 2014, at noon. We will discuss the report’s findings. The full research report, MOOCs: Expanding the Scope of Organizational Learning_,_ is available for purchase online. Members have complimentary access to the whitepaper version of the report.

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